We just opened our home to a 10 week pit mix. He does not seem obsessed with our 5 yr old cat. Merlin's philosophy is you do your thing and I'll do mine. Sometimes Chance seems afraid of the Merlin and other times you would think Merlin was the only animate object in the room. With any type of dog, monitor and train, never leave them alone, and they will be friends in no time, even an overly persistant dog can be desensitized with time, and patience.

I think it has a lot to do with breed and individual dog.If raised right, would a BC not herd? Or a hound not try and sniff/track? Personally, if I was set on getting a dog that had to be great with cats, I would rescue a dog that is KNOWN to get along with cats. You really could get anything with a puppy. I DO think the upbringing has a lot to do with it, but I also think the amount of prey drive and temperment would affect the reaction towards cats.

JMO of course.

~Tucker

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Originally Posted by AngryMan

I think u need some angry school.

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Originally Posted by Renee750il

That's what we do here. We're emotionally invested in each other and each other's dogs, the joys and the sorrows.

I think it depends on the breed a bit, but not entirely. It seems that as far as dog/cat problems go, there is outright aggression from the dog and then there's prey drive. I had a wolf mix that had EXTREME prey drive. Rabbits, mice, chickens etc didn't stand a chance with him, but he would not hunt our cats. On the other hand, a friend of mine had a dog that would display aggression to cats. Growling, barking, and attacking if it got the chance. It was like the dog wanted to pick a fight with the cat rather than hunt it. I'd trust the good natured dog with high prey drive before I'd trust the aggressive dog.

As for how pit types are with cats, I guess it depends on the individual but I honestly would be hard pressed to trust a terrier around small animals.

No worries there Neko and Willie love dogs, Max was Neko's best friend, if a dog bothers them they just run off.

So if we got a dog it would be from a rescue and would be an adult. I suppose we would have to trust that the rescue really did a good job testing them with cats. I wonder, If they say he is good with cats can you ask to see him in a room with one of the shelter cats to be sure before you bring him home?

My APBT Indy was excellent with the cat, raised with them; however he could play a bit rough -they had a game where he made the cat "squeak", but would stop play when told to stop "squeaking the cat". The cat apparently didn't find this offensive as much as I did, as he never left the room when this game was being played. Indy was cold, no dog aggression, but he had high prey drive and would hunt rats, 'coons, and 'possums.

My friend's APBT Lucy has removed a piece of a cat's tail from under the bathroom door (where the cat was eating for her safety), and still at the age of 10 whines that high pitched pitbull scream to get at any cats, family or not. Lucy WAS RAISED with the cats in question. Lucy is high dog aggression, and low on tolerance for family dogs. My friend is a highly skilled dog trainer, specifically with aggressive dogs, so IT'S NOT all about the training.

If you are getting an adult APBT, make sure that it has been evaluated with cats, and yes, ask to see it's interaction before you bring it home.